Ted Haggard on Oprah

Sad to watch, as I've said before.

Here is Ta-Nehisi Coates's take:

For some truly disturbing video, watch a man who once--and apparently still does--crusade against gays, on Oprah talking about seeking therapy to curb his attraction to men. It may not be me right, but I felt enormously sad for him, and even sadder for his wife.

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Rick Warren and Barack Obama

I've said my peace already, on this subject. But I thought Ta-Nehisi had a great perspective too:

I want to be absolutely clear here. Obama hasn't betrayed anything or anyone. On this issue, he is what I thought he was. One of the first blog posts ever wrote noted the amazing hypocrisy in Obama lecturing black people on homophobia, while himself, holding a position on arguably the most important civil rights issue of our time, which was essentially bigoted. It's my job to say things like that, to, at once, not just carp, but still not simply fall in line.

'Bama's job, meanwhile, is to be a politician. I don't say that derisively or sarcastically, but literally. He has to exist in a world where Rev. Wright's sermons are kyrptonite, but a man who compares gay sex to incest, who lies about the nature and history of marriage is political capitol. Let's not be confused--Rick Warren rolls with a crew that didn't simply block gay marriage in Cali, but is now actively attempting to destroy marriages. Forgive me, I find it hard to be rational while watching men of the cloth cynically claim the abstract mantle of family values, while attempting to erase actual families. How in the world are these people not evil?

Sorry, I was supposed to be getting to the diplomatic part. The diplomatic part is this: Barack is the president of the United States. He has all sorts of people pressuring them. His job is to respond to those pressures in such a way as to not break the consensus he needs to get things done, and to expand the Democratic brand in the American mind. So when people make the pragmatic arguments, it's not that I think they're wrong. They are, in fact, totally right.

But Obama's job, isn't my job. I just don't think it's my role to make him as comfortable as possible. This isn't about betraying progressives, it isn't about lefties being "depressed," it isn't about a Democratic civil war, and it doesn't need to be squished into a seven minute segment on Hardball. Let's be honest here--Barack Obama has, so far, been exactly what we expected. Exactly. Let us acknowledge that. But let's not use that as an excuse to not our job, which is as I see it, to say, "Mr. President. Now, do more."

True, true, Ta-Nehisi. Barack has been exactly what we expected, a great man, but a politician. The people who are disappointed by his Warren choice are those who expected more than a politician. And as much I hate to be naive, I was one of those people. He fooled me once, but not again.

It's finally hit Ta-Nehisi...

It took you long, my man, but at least it is finally sunk in:

I saw a lot of tears election night. I'm a weird cat, emotions burn slow in me. I didn't get 9/11, emotionally, until months later when I started reading the individual stories. I think I was most sad, like a year or two after the towers fell. Ditto for our First Black President. I felt good Election Night, but mostly numb. But all this week small things have been pointing me to the importance of this moment.

I saw this picture over at TPM. I don't think a lot of folks understand how hard black people take their portrayal in mainstream media. We probably spend more time bemoaning the latest R. Kelley affair, than bemoaning racism. America
is like the NFL--without the salary cap. And some days to be black, is to be a Detroit Lion. Before they fired Matt Millen. And then something like this happens, and after years of feeling ashamed you look up and you see what you represent on your best days, what you hope your fam represents--vision, courage, competition, confidence--is represented at the highest levels of this country. You wake up and realize that your best face, is the face of the country, is the face of the world.